Sending a Message
by KW2010
Summary: the story takes place a couple months after the joker's escape from Arkham Asylum. he's back and he's creating chaos in Gotham. find out what happens when Gordon becomes his next target for chaos! my first fanfic XD
1. Return

Disclaimer: As odd as it may seem, I don't actually own anything that has to do with Batman. So if for some unfathomable reason you think I do… you'd be wrong.

author's note: hi there. this is my first attempt at a fanfiction, so it probably sucks. i just really wanted to write something. if you like it by any chance, i'd be happy to write more :)

Chapter 1

Bruce stood on the top of a tall office building. He stared at the people on the streets. People drove down the streets in a hurry to get home from a long day of work, some honking at others impatiently. A few others walked along the sidewalks in an attempt to get some fresh air. People had not always been bold enough to walk the streets of Gotham at night. Crime spread through the city like a virus, but since Bruce had decided to take on the role of Gotham's protector, Batman, the city had begun having a feeling of security. At least at night when the Batman made his presence known, anyway.

"Master Wayne," a voice came from the communicator that was embedded in Bruce's suit, "It's getting a little late isn't it?"

"I won't be much longer, Alfred," the Batman continued staring at the people on the streets.

Alfred sighed. "You made a promise to your guests, sir. I hardly think much will happen if you decide to take just one night off."

"I also made a promise to protect their lives, and that's what I'm doing." There was a short pause as Alfred decided whether or not to argue further.

"I understand that Batman has responsibilities, sir, but you need to understand that Bruce Wayne has responsibilities to."

"What? To go to fancy parties and drive expensive cars?"

"No. To keep promises when he makes them," Alfred let out another sigh. "Is there something bothering you, Master Wayne? You've been acting a bit... on edge lately."

Bruce didn't respond for a few seconds. "It's been three months, Alfred. He's still out there."

"Ah, yes. Him," Alfred said as he began to understand.

"This silence won't last much longer. As much as the police are hoping, he's not going to roll over and play dead."

"Well," Alfred paused, "Since I can't convince you to come back, I guess I can entertain the guests for a while longer. Just hurry up."

"Thanks, Alfred. I'll be there soon."

It'd been three months now. Three months since the escape of Gotham's most dangerous criminal from Arkham Asylum. The Joker. Bruce knew the Joker to well to believe that he had disappeared for good. Although the police had high hopes that he had done just that. Disappeared. No, It wasn't his style. He wasn't going to give up. Not now... not ever. Until they could find a prison strong enough to keep him caged, he would continue to torture the citizens that populated Gotham. He would be back, and Bruce knew it. The only question was when. It was just a matter of time.

Bruce was having troubles with the law himself. He had taken the place of Harvey Dent and taken credit for his murders. He believed Gotham deserved a real hero. One with a face. Someone who could save Gotham without the need to wear a mask. But the Joker had corrupted Dent's mind. He'd twisted his mind until it matched his own and destroyed Gotham's white knight. Bruce knew that all faith would be lost if the citizens in Gotham found out what had truly happened to Harvey, and he knew he had to do something. He couldn't let the Joker have the satisfaction of losing the battle but winning the war. So he did the only thing he _could_ do. He took the blame for it all. The police were given orders to arrest him, should they ever come face to face.

Bruce put his worries aside and focused on what was important at the moment. Protecting the people of Gotham. He left the roof of the building and glided through the city.

An armored truck sat outside of Gotham Bank. It was late in the evening. It'd been dark for about an hour. Inside, the bank tellers sat at the counters, anxiously waiting for closing time. They threw quick glances at the clock on the wall. The people in the lines were also anxious to get home. They waited impatiently for their turns at the counter.

The doors of the bank swung open. A group of five men walked into the building. Some of the people looked back towards them uneasily. One of the men stepped forward towards a counter. A young girl of about 20 years of age, with long brown hair and blue eyes looked up to study the man approaching her. He was tall and muscular. He held his long brown hair in a pony tail. He wore a black jacket and jeans. When she met his eyes she recoiled from his icy gaze. She pulled a strand of hair from her face nervously.

"Can I help you, Sir?" she asked sheepishly.

"Yeah," he replied in a menacing voice. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small hand gun. "I'd like to make a withdrawal." The girl's eyes widened as he pointed the gun towards her. She opened her mouth but was too shocked to speak.

"Everybody, down!" one of the other men yelled as the group of thugs pulled out their own guns. There were several screams from the crowd as they threw themselves to the floor. One of the thugs shot into the ceiling to show that the gun was loaded and ready for use.

At the counter the girl was still frozen, staring down the gun barrel pointed towards her. The man with the long hair grabbed her arm and flung her over the counter. She landed on her stomach, which knocked the wind out of her, and she gasped for air. The man jumped over the counter and looked at the other tellers staring in horror.

"I wouldn't think about hitting that silent alarm if I was you," he pointed the gun in their direction.

They backed away, frightened. He gestured for one of the thugs to follow him down the hallway behind the counter. One of the other men ran to follow him, jumping over the girl lying on the floor on his way to the counter. The long haired man looked around the corner. Two security guards were coming to investigate the sound. When they rounded the corner, the long haired man and his accomplice bashed them over the head with their weapons. They continued down the hall until they reached their destination. A vault was at the far end of the room. The two men ran back to where the hostages were kept.

The long haired man called to one of the thugs from behind the counter. "Go ahead and tell them it's clear," he shouted. The thug nodded in response and pulled out a radio.

"It's all clear. Let's get this show started," he placed the radio back in his jacket and looked out the window at the truck parked outside.

The doors of the armored truck swung open. Two more thugs hopped out. They wore colorful clown masks. Another man followed them out. He was different. Instead of a mask, his face was covered in chalky, white make-up. Deep scars carved his face into a permanent smile. He moved his head from side to side, stretching, as he walked towards the glass doors.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said as he walked into the building. There were some gasps as people realized who was behind the hold-up. He was well known in Gotham city. "Sorry for the inconvenience folks, but I have some business to take care of," he made his way to the counter and jumped over. He paused to stare at the guards sitting on the floor, watched by one of the henchmen.

"Tisk, tisk, tisk," he shook his head. "You haven't been doing your job very well, have you?" he laughed. The men gave him a terrified look. "Oh, don't look so nervous," he said in a comforting tone. He patted one on the head and laughed as he continued down the hall. In the room with the vault, a thug was already working with some tools.

Outside the bank, the police were just arriving. Commissioner Gordon stepped out of a police cruiser. He walked towards Detective Ramirez, who was standing by her car.

"Do you know what's going on?" he stopped in front of her.

She frowned. "It's him."

Gordon paused before he answered. "Are you sure?"

"Someone with a cell phone was able to call 911. He described-," she looked at the notebook she was holding, "a 'man wearing a purple suit and covered in make-up'," she looked up. "There's only one person I can think of to fit that description."

Gordon sighed. "I want to get a line in there. I need to talk to him."

The Joker stood over the thug working on the vault. He sighed impatiently. "Anytime now would be nice."

"I've almost got it."

The Joker looked at the clock above the door. He started humming intolerantly. "Ya know what?" he pulled out a gun. He aimed the weapon at the thug and shot into his head. "I'll do it." He grabbed the tools from the man's hands and went to work. The other two thugs stood shocked. He laughed at their startled faces. "If you want something done, do it yourself," the Joker smiled.

A goon wearing a clown mask walked into the room. He carried a cell phone.

"Ah. Gotham's finest have decided to join our little party," he took the phone from the thug. "Helllooo?"

"Joker," Gordon almost answered straight away.

"Commissioner!" the Joker mused, "Long time, no see," he laughed.

"What's going on in there? What are you doing to those people?"

"Calm down, Lieutenant. I haven't done anything to them… yet," he chortled.

Gordon took a deep breath. "What are your demands?"

"You don't deviate from the book, do you?"

"Answer the question."

"Well, now that you mention it, I'm quite famished. Maybe you could pick me up a cheeseburger from Burger King," he laughed.

"Enough jokes. This is serious," Gordon was losing his patience.

"Do I look like a guy who makes jokes to you?" he questioned.

"Just answer my question."

"Do ya know what I really want?" the Joker paused to think. "Silence."

"Joker?" Gordon called into the phone. He heard nothing but a dial tone. He cursed and hung up the phone.

* * *

Author's note: most of the lines in the part where the Joker talks to the Commissioner are not mine. I watched them on a movie once and thought they could work here really well. I believe the movie was Paul Blart: Mall Cop (which is a really funny movie)


	2. Not About Money

Chapter 2

Gordon shoved the phone into his jacket pocket and walked back to his car. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You alright?" Ramirez followed him.

"Yeah. I'm getting a headache. It's just stress."

"You should get some rest when this is over with," she replied sympathetically. She looked over his shoulder as she saw a dark silhouette lurking in the shadows of the building.

"No. Now that he's back, I'm gonna have a lot of work to do. We have to catch him again soon or who knows-," Ramirez cleared her throat and nodded to a figure behind him. Gordon turned around to see it walking towards them.

"Oh, it's you," Gordon looked around to see if anyone else had noticed his arrival. A masked man dressed in a suit that resembled what looked to be a bat was standing in front of him.

"What's going on here?" the Batman questioned in a rough voice.

"Our worst fears, that's what. It's the Joker. He's holding those people hostage in there," Gordon pointed to the bank.

"I knew he wouldn't stay gone for long. I can't say I'm surprised he's come back," Batman looked in the direction Gordon pointed. "Hmmm," he thought a moment. "I want to talk to him. Do you have any communications with him?"

"We sent a cell phone in, but I can't promise he'll answer it again," Gordon grabbed the phone out of his pocket and tossed it over.

* * *

The Joker laughed as he threw the phone to the side. He picked up a tool from the floor and went back to the vault. In a short amount of time, he had the door opened and the goons rushed past him to get inside.

"Alrighty, boys. Only take what we need."

In the corner where the Joker had thrown it, the phone began ringing.

"Who could that be," the Joker said sarcastically as he walked over to pick it back up. He bent down, grabbed the phone from the floor, and flipped it open. "I'm a little busy at the moment. I'll tell you what. Why don't you try calling later?"

"Joker," Bruce managed to call out before the Joker could hang up.

"Wait. I know that voice. Batsy? Is that you? Of course it's you. Same heroic tone, same voice that sounds as if you're in dire need of a throat lozenge…"

"What's happening in there?"

"It's always the same questions with you people. What's going on? Have you hurt anyone? Why are you doing this? What are you doing with that knife?" he emphasized the last question as he pulled a blade from his pocket and twirled it around in his fingers.

"What knife? Is everyone all right?"

"Ya see? There you go again with the questions. Learn to lighten up a bit. Life's a lot more fun when you're smiling," he cackled.

"Let those people go," the Batman demanded.

"Oh, yeah. And maybe I'll turn myself in while I'm at it and go back to Arkham. Which reminds me, I never got to thank you for _that_ lovely trip."

"Let them go _now_ or else."

"Oooh, is that a threat?" the Joker giggled. "You don't scare me. I'll let them go when I say I'll let them go."

"Whatever happened to 'it's not about the money'?"

"Oh, it's not for me. You're right. It's all about sending a message. The money is for Gotham. You can consider it a sort of… tax. Just like you pay taxes so your kids can go to school. Gotham is paying for itself to learn a lesson. Ya see, all the things I love: knives, guns, bullets, gasoline. They're cheap when you get them in small amounts, but not so cheap when you get them in large doses," the Joker headed towards the front room as the thugs finished filling the last bag. "This has been a great chat and all, but duty calls," he hung up the phone. He gave one last smile to the guards sitting on the floor and jumped back over the counter.

"So how are we gonna get out of here, anyway?" a masked man stood next to the Joker. The Joker thought for a moment.

"Hmm," he turned to look at the horrified faces of the people lying on the ground. He smiled, "I'm gonna need a volunteer." The room was completely quiet. "Anyone?" he circled the room. He came up to the young teller who was thrown over the counter by the long haired man. "Perfect. Thanks for volunteering," he laughed and pulled her up by the arm. The girl struggled to get away, though she knew it was hopeless. He shushed her and stroked her hair. "Don't worry. We're just gonna play a little game," he took out his knife and put it to her throat. The girl stopped struggling, not wanting to get cut. He pulled her towards another door.


	3. A Good Magic Trick

Chapter 3

Batman flipped the phone shut and held it out to Gordon.

"What happened?" Gordon took the phone from his hand.

"He hung up."

"So what are we going to do now?"

"I don't know. We can't get in the building without someone getting hurt."

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing. Who knows what he's doing to those people in there."

"I know," Batman paused to think for a moment. "We're going to have to wait. He'll have to make the first move if he wants to get out of there."

"I don't like it," Gordon shook his head. "I don't like just waiting around for him to put someone else's life in danger."

"I don't like it either, but we have no other options. If we try getting inside... well, I think you and I both know the Joker isn't afraid to hurt a few people to get his point across."

"You're right," Gordon sighed. "This is pathetic. Have we really come to this? Just waiting?" Gordon sat down on the hood of his car and buried his face in his hands. Batman didn't answer his question. He just frowned and stood in deep thought. Gordon was right. This was pathetic. This Joker had taken what small amount of dignity this police station had. It was sad really.

A few minutes past and still nothing. Not a sound. Gordon had gotten impatient and started pacing nervously in front of his car. He opened his mouth to say something when they heard a noise coming from the bank. A loud screaming was coming from the roof. Everyone in the parking lot turned their heads upwards towards the top of the building. The Joker was standing on the roof of the building. But for once, it wasn't the Joker that caught their attention. It was the young woman halfway dangling off the edge of the building that caused them to gasp.

The woman screamed again. Her eyes as wide as possible staring at the street below. She was kicking and screaming as much as she could, though it was useless. The Joker held her by her neck, barely keeping her steady. She only had one leg on the edge and the other was flailing off the side. She grabbed his arm that was around her neck in an attempt to keep herself from falling. She had picked a bad day to be afraid of heights. Although, considering who was standing next to her, that didn't seem so important at the moment. The Joker just laughed at her terrified expression, enjoying every minute of it.

Gordon turned his head sharply away from the building to look at Batman, but he was already gone. The officers held their guns out, ready for orders. Everyone was completely focused on the roof.

"Hey there, Commissioner," the Joker yelled down in a casual tone.

"What are you doing?! You're insane!" Gordon's eyes were just as wide as the horrified girl's, still halfway hanging off the building.

"Now what kind of greeting is that?" the Joker went into another laughing fit. "It's almost like you're not happy to see me!"

"Put that girl down!" Gordon shouted, ignoring the Joker's strange sense of humor.

"I thought we could play a game," he smiled down at the officers. "Here are the rules Well, only one rule actually. The first person to shoot get's to clean this girl off the sidewalk," he chuckled.

"Hold your fire!" Gordon ordered at the cops. The officers reluctantly lowered their weapons, following orders. The Joker took his eyes off the crowd below to look behind him.

"Ah ta ta ta ta! I saw that," the Joker smiled at the Batman, who'd snuck onto the roof and was only about 10 feet away. "You didn't honestly think I'd forget about _you_ of all people," he giggled. Batman froze where he was as the Joker leaned the girl out another inch off the building. The young woman screamed again, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Hand the girl over," Batman stared at the Joker with intensive eyes.

"Uh... no," the Joker smiled, shaking his head. "No, I don't think I will. I'm having to much fun."

"This isn't a game. Give her to me."

"Why don't you come get her?" he raised his eyebrows. Bruce thought for a moment. Was he serious? He hesitated and then cautiously took two steps forward. The Joker released his grip from the girl, but kept his arm extended over the side. The girl shrieked and clung on to his arm.

"Please!" she sobbed. He ignored her pleas and just laughed. Batman jumped back to where he'd been. The Joker kept ignoring her as she begged for him to let her go.

"I never said I wouldn't let go," he laughed uncontrollably. He grabbed one of her arms and steadied her on the edge again. He had a huge grin on his face.

"Give her to me!" Batman yelled angrily.

The Joker smiled even wider. "Wanna know the secret to a good magic trick?" he questioned. What a random question. But then again, the Joker never said anything you expected him to say.

"What?" Batman said confused.

"The secret to a good magic trick. Do you want to know what it is?"

"No... No, we don't have time for this! Hand over the girl!"

The Joker ignored his answer. "The secret to a good magic trick... is to make the audience look the wrong way. Make them watch this hand-," he raised his free arm, "instead of this one," he raised the hand that held the girl's arm.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Batman commanded. He wasn't making any sense at all.

The Joker started laughing. "You'll see soon enough."

"Let the girl go!" he shouted. He was sick of playing these games.

The Joker laughed even harder. "If you say so," he let go of the young woman's arm and shook off her grip, laughing while he did it. The girl gave a blood-curdling scream. She lost her balance and fell over the side. Batman, of course, followed soon after her, leaving the Joker on the roof alone. He was still laughing.

While falling, Batman grabbed the girl in mid-air. He activated the wings on his cape and they glided down slowly. But not so slow that the impact of the cement wasn't painful. Batman hit the ground first. He rolled over at the last moment so that the girl would land on top of him and he wouldn't crush her under his weight. There was a sharp pain as he took most of the impact on his legs. He was sure he'd be black and blue later on. He took a deep breath of relief as a crowd of officers surrounded them. They carefully helped the girl up. She wasn't hurt that badly. Just a few cuts and couple bruises on her neck from when the Joker was holding her.

Gordon reached out a hand towards the Batman. "You okay?"

Batman took Gordon's hand. Two more cops helped him up from behind. "Yes, I'm fine." Truthfully, Bruce believed he deserved it. He fell for the same thing with Rachel when the Joker made a visit to his home. He'd been searching for Harvey Dent, but ended up throwing Rachel out a window instead.

"What about the Joker?"

Batman didn't answer right away. He turned around to see the armored truck speed away down an alley. He sighed. "He got away."

Apparently, his goons had loaded up the truck while everyone's attention was on the roof. Bruce now understood the meaning behind the Joker's "secret to a good magic trick" question. He'd made himself disappear with the money by getting everyone's focus on the top of the building.

Gordon sighed and turned to Ramirez. "We should get back to the station and get this mess sorted out."

"What about the Batman?" a police officer questioned.

Gordon paused. "What Batman?"

The officer gave him a confused look and turned around to point at the man dressed in a bat suit. There was no one there. Gordon turned around and walked back to his car.


	4. I'll Make It Up To You

author's note: sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been pretty bussy with homework and all that. i would appriciate some more reviews. they don't have to be good ones if you don't like it. i just want to know how to improve my story. :)

Bruce woke up to a sharp pain in his leg. He looked at the clock next to his bed, "6:33AM" flashing red on it's surface. He yawned and slowly removed his covers so he could examine his leg. It was a little black and blue, like he'd predicted, but he'd live to walk another day.

"You took quite a fall, eh, Master Wayne?" Alfred walked through the door carrying Bruce's breakfast on a tray.

"I'll live. At least it's not broken," Bruce sat up. Alfred smiled as he handed him the tray. He also gave him a small bottle of pain medication, which Bruce took after breakfast with a glass of water.

"So, that 'Joker' fellow is causing trouble again, is he?"

"Yes," Bruce replied as he pulled on a fresh set of clothes. "I'll have to look in to it further."

Alfred sighed as he left the room. "This won't end well as long as that man's involved."

The rest of the day went on as it usually did. Bruce arrived at Wayne Tower just in time for a somewhat boring meeting.

"You look tired, Mr. Wayne," Lucius Fox had walked up to him after the meeting. "You know you don't have to be at these meetings, right?" he smiled.

"I _want_ to be here," Bruce smiled back.

Fox's smile disappeared for a moment. "I heard that there's been a sighting of the Joker," he was almost whispering. "The police aren't saying anything yet, so I wasn't sure if it was true."

Bruce's smile also faded. "Yeah, he's back."

"That's... unfortunate," Fox raised an eyebrow, "You be careful with that one. There's enough good people hurt because of him already."

"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine," Bruce smiled slightly.

"Take care, Mr. Wayne." Fox returned Bruce's smile as he turned and walked away.

At the end of the day, Bruce walked out into the hallway, locking his office door behind him, and continued down the hall towards the elevator. Grace, a girl working as a secretary, was siting behind a counter to the right of the elevator. Bruce smiled as he saw her.

"Going home, Mr. Wayne?" she questioned.

"Yes. Are you going the same way? I'll walk you out."

"Yeah... Oh, but I wanted to watch this news report before I leave," she pointed to the TV that stood on a shelf nailed to the wall. "They're saying something about the Joker. Can you believe that?"

"Really?" the smile partially disappeared from Bruce's face. "Well, you should be careful. We don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Of course, Mr. Wayne," she kept smiling. Bruce considered offering to stay with the girl until the news was over, so he could walk her out. He wasn't that fond of the idea of leaving a girl alone when it was so dangerous. Of course, she wasn't the only one there besides Bruce. There would most likely be someone else in the parking lot when she leaves. And the Joker had better things to do than kidnap some random girl off the street.

"Well, goodnight, Grace," Bruce walked past the desk and hit the elevator button.

"Hello, people of Gotham," a familure voice called from the TV. A chill went down Bruce's spine as he heard the voice. He paused before turning around slowly. He was greeted by a pale, white face wearing a bright red grin. Bruce took a few steps forward to get a better view of the small screen.

"Guess who's back! You've probably been wondering where I've been, right?" the Joker licked his lower lip. Bruce looked at Grace, whose expression was unreadable. She was either terrified or really bored. All things considered, he was willing to bet it was the former. "After our last little, uh... 'get together' I had to deal with a few problems. Apparently the Gotham City police don't find my jokes very entertaining. Oh, by the way, sorry we didn't get to finish our last little game. I was really hoping to see some fireworks. But I'll make it up to you. Ya see, I'm sure I can think of tons of fun little games for us to play. Things are about to get a lot more interesting, " he chuckled. "So I'll see you all soon," he raised his eyebrows. He started laughing and the screen went dark. It quickly switched back to the news station. The reporters were frantically trying to figure out what had just happened.

Grace looked at Bruce with a speechless expression.

"Do you want me to help you to your car?" Bruce asked, not wanting the girl to be left alone and scared.

"No, no. I.. I'll be fine. Thanks," Grace tried to force a smile onto her face.

Bruce half-smiled back while he debated whether or not to insist. He knew the girl would get home safe. It was unlikely that the Joker would show any interest in her. Bruce turned and walked towards the elevator. He stepped inside and sighed, hoping Grace wouldn't be too scared. He had other things he needed to take care of. He walked out the doors of the building and quickly to his car. He needed to talk to Gordon. The officers were sure to be in a frenzy now. He sped off towards the chaos that he knew would await him.


	5. HouseCall

"Well, boys, I think we have their attention," the Joker chuckled as he set the video camera on the table.

"So... why exactly do we want their attention?" a thug, who was sitting at the opposite side of the table, questioned.

"Because, my simple minded friend, the cops are probably tearing the city apart looking for us now."

"And that's... good?" another thud asked.

"Yeah," the Joker answered shaking his head up and down.

"Why?"

"Because, if the cops are searching all over town, then the Commissioner is most likely with them."

The thug gave the Joker a blank stare.

"Look, I know this is... _hard_ for your small brain to understand... but you're just gonna have to trust me on this."

"Uh, okay, boss. Whatever you say."

The Joker stared at the crowd of goons circling the table once more before turning around towards the door. He put a hand on the door knob and turned his head to look at the group sitting behind him. "Well?... What are you waiting for? Let's go!" he yelled. The thugs scrambled out of their chairs and followed the Joker out the door.

"Where are we goin'?" a goon called out from the crowd.

"We're gonna pay a visit to the Commissioner's house," the Joker laughed as he pulled the truck door open and jumped in.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Alright, I want to know where that video was broadcasting from!" Gordon screamed out into the swarm of frenzied officers. "Come on people, let's move!" Gordon turned around and gasped. The Batman was standing in front of him. "You know, if you keep doing that you're gonna give me a heart attack... _and_ get me fired," Gordon grabbed his chest and took in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, but this was important," Batman responded without smiling.

"I know, I've seen the video."

"I can see that," Batman looked around the room at the chaotic scene. "Do you know anything yet?"

"No. We can't trace it. We were about to go out and look..."

"He's probably left by now anyway. I'm going to go back out and keep looking. If you find anything, call me," he grabbed Gordon's hand and placed a small phone in his palm. "The number's already programmed in," he turned and started to walk away.

"Will do," Gordon turned to help organize the officers.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At Gordon's house, little James Gordon Jr. was already in bed, though he wasn't asleep yet. He closed his eyes and waited, but as the time went by he couldn't fall asleep. James took a deep breath and sat up. The entire house was completely quiet, except for a couple sounds here and there from James' mother, who was still downstairs in the kitchen.

James searched blindly through the night trying to find the light switch next to his bed. Finally, his fingers hit the lamp, almost knocking it over. He grabbed it before it could fall, balanced it on the night stand, and hit the switch. The room filled with the bright, yellow light. He reached for the glass of water next to his lamp and took a couple sips. He was about to put it back on the stand when a loud scream made him drop the glass on the floor. It didn't break, but only bounced slightly on the soft carpet.

The scream was followed by a loud commotion coming from downstairs. James' heart started pounding as the noises got louder until finally, once again, there was quiet. His first instinct was to hide. He threw the covers across the bed and jumped up. He looked around frantically for a suitable place to hide. He ducked down and under the bed. He kept his eyes on the door, expecting a burglar of some kind to pass his room.

Then there were footsteps. James' heart pounded even harder as he heard multiple doors slam, as if they were looking for something. The footsteps and door slams got closer and closer to his room. James held his breath, shaking with fear, as a pair of shoes stopped in front of his door. The shoes traveled across the room, towards the closet. The closet door slammed open and shut. The shoes traveled to the other side of the room and then back.

The shoes stopped in front of James' bed. James shrunk further back away from the stranger. He realized that he hadn't started breathing again yet and took quiet, slow breaths. At first it seemed like the stranger was going to walk away. But just as he turned to leave, he suddenly ducked down and looked under the bed. James screamed as he was met by a scarred face smeared in white, black, and red.

"Gotch ya!" the stranger laughed. He pulled the boy out from under the bed by the collar of his pajamas. James continued to scream and started kicking. Anything to get the stranger to let go. He'd heard of him before, this "Joker". His father had warned him multiple times that this man was dangerous.

"If you can't go quietly, you'll force me to have to use 'negative reinforcement'," the Joker said in a teasing tone. He hoisted the boy up over his shoulder and carried him down the hallway. There was a masked thug standing by the stairs. "Can you take this for me?" the Joker said as he handed James over to the thug. The thug threw James over his own shoulder and followed the Joker down the stairs.

James saw his mother sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Her arms were tied up and she was being watched by a couple other goons. A feeling of relief passed through James as he saw his mother was alive. He continued to kick and scream until the thug placed him on a chair by the kitchen table. "I can't carry him like that anymore, boss. He's gonna give me a migraine with all that screamin'."

The Joker sighed and walked up to James' mom. He pulled out his knife to catch James' attention. James stopped screaming as he watched the Joker bend down next to his mother.

"Ya know, James, you have a wonderful mother," the Joker grabbed her face in his hands. She tried to respond but her mouth was taped shut. "She's got beautiful skin, beautiful eyes... I do have one complaint though," he ripped the tape off of her mouth. She shrieked with the sudden pain. "She doesn't smile," the Joker put his knife to the corner of her mouth. He turned his head and looked at James. "If you don't plan on being a little more _cooperative_, I'll give 'mommy' here something to really make her smile. Understand?" he raised an eyebrow and continued to look at James. James nodded his head up and down quietly.

"Good," the Joker stood back up, wiped the blade on his jacket, and headed towards the front door. The goon picked the boy back up and followed the others out. James took one last look at his mother sitting on the floor before he was taken away. The next thing he knew, he was being thrown into the back of a truck and into the Joker's arms. "You get to sit with me," the Joker laughed. The doors of the truck closed and they headed off down the road.


	6. Truck Ride

The Joker continued laughing as the boy struggled to get out of his arms. James stared up at him with fearful eyes. Why was this happening to him? He couldn't figure it out. How'd he gone from his warm, comfortable bed to the back of this truck? It had all gone so fast that it took him a minute to remember what had just happened in his home.

He remembered his mom sitting on the kitchen floor while he'd been hauled off. Tears began dropping from his face as he remembered the expression on her face. It had been an expression of helplessness. All he wanted now was to go back and comfort her.

The Joker was enjoying every moment of his fear. It was what he lived for. The horrible expression on James' face was the highlight of his day. He held on tight to the boy through the entire car ride, despite the kicking and screaming.

They weren't far from their destination, where ever that was, when James gave up on his struggling. Instead he rested his head on the Joker's shoulder and tried to sleep. It definitely wasn't comfortable, considering whose shoulder it was, but he was so exhausted he couldn't stay awake any longer. The Joker looked down at the boy with an odd expression on his face. It was a mixture of amusement and disgust.

James had almost fallen asleep when a loud noise like shattering glass came from the front of the truck. James' eyes shot open. The entire truck swerved to the left, causing the Joker along with James to fly forward. The Joker put his arms out in front of him and saved himself from hitting the opposite side of the truck. James was not as lucky. He flew forward and slammed his head into the wall of the vehicle. His vision went black and fuzzy, but didn't fully pass out. He sat up and rubbed his head.

"What's goin on over there?" the Joker shouted out. He got up and looked through the steel grate window that separated the back and front of the truck. The driver was slumped over the wheel and the man in the passenger's seat was regaining consciousness. The goons that sat in the back with the Joker were either laying on the floor or had stopped themselves from hitting the wall.

"What the-" a thug got up off the floor and grabbed his gun from the ground.

A sound came from the top of the truck, like someone was walking across it. The Joker looked up at the ceiling with a confused look. He took the knife out of his pocket and grabbed James from the floor. James looked up at the Joker's face, which was now forming into a smile. Whatever had stopped the truck, the Joker must have known what it was. The sound continued across the roof of the truck. The Joker licked his lips in anticipation.

Suddenly the back doors flew open. Before James even knew what had happened, he'd been pushed out of the way and back onto the floor. The Batman had then tackled the Joker, who had ducked out of the way and hit Batman right in the stomach. Batman hit the knife out of the Joker's hand and punched him in the face. The Joker responded by doing the same thing. The Batman took a few steps back and was hit by the Joker again. The blows caused him to fall backwards and out of the truck, but he'd grabbed the Joker's shirt and took him down with him. They rolled around on the ground causing as much damage to each other as possible. It was hard to tell who was winning.

James was so confused by what was going on that he didn't get up off the floor of the truck. He just watched them practically kill each other while he tried putting all the events that had happened together.

The Joker sat up and had enough time to call out: "Just go! You know where to take him!" to the thugs inside the truck before getting a fist in the face. The goons were staring at them just as amused and confused as James was. The thug in the passenger's seat leaned over the driver, opened the door, and threw the driver out onto the ground. He took the driver's place and turned the keys in the ignition.

The other goons closed the back doors of the truck, leaving the Joker and Batman outside on the ground fighting. After a few tries, the thug up front got the truck started. They swerved back onto the road in their beaten up truck and sped off.

The Joker laughed as the truck raced out of sight. The Batman stopped hitting him and got up off the floor. He grabbed the Joker's shirt and pulled him up.

"You're coming with me," the Batman growled.

"But... but... what did _I _do?" the Joker said in a very convincing voice. He replaced the confused look on his face with a smile and laughed. Batman just looked at him without smiling. He could hear a siren in the distance. The police where almost there. They would take the Joker back to a prison cell where he belonged.

"You brought help?" the Joker smiled.

"It's back-up."

The Joker laughed.


	7. Interrogations

The officers were formed into a swarm surrounding the big glass window separating them from Gotham's most dangerous criminal. The Joker could be seen from this window, as well as a small monitor connected to a video camera, sitting in a chair next to a table. He looked completely comfortable, just sitting there with his face pulled up into a half-grin. Once in a while he'd look up at the glass and smile, knowing very well that he was most likely being watched like some sort of freak show.

It was pretty quiet up until a huge crash came from the door being flung open by a furious Commissioner James Gordon.

"Where is he?" Gordon screamed. Everyone in the room shot there head in his direction. "Is he in there?" he yelled.

Ramirez separated herself from the other detectives.

"Yeah, he's right in there," she pointed to the door that led into the interrogation room.

"I want to talk to him," Gordon responded in a somewhat calmer voice.

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't think that's a good idea."

"I just got back from visiting my wife in the hospital, detective," Gordon took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Ramirez put a hand on his shoulder. "Is she all right?"

"She'll be fine. She broke her leg from falling on the kitchen floor, but she'll be fine," Gordon closed his eyes. "Look... that freak has my son. I _need_ to talk to him," he said opening his eyes again.

"Commissioner, I'm not even sure if the rules would allow that. I don't think-"

"I want to talk to him!" Gordon cut her off.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but someone else is going to have to go in there."

"Like who?" Gordon shouted.

"Well... I could go," Ramirez looked away from Gordon's eyes, embarrassed. Gordon sighed.

"You're a good officer, detective... but this guy isn't like any of the criminals you've delt with. He can twist your words around to the point where _you_ don't even know if you meant what you said. He'll eat you alive."

"I could have some help," Ramirez suggested.

"From who?" Gordon raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"A friend," she looked back up at Gordon. Gordon understood right away.

"Is he here?" Gordon rubbed the back of his neck. Ramirez nodded her head up and down. Gordon waited a few seconds, thinking, before answering. " Okay, fine. You win. Bring him in."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Joker looked up at the pair entering the room and smiled.

"Well, look who decided to join the party," the Joker stared at the Batman, who was walking next to Ramerez. "I believe this is against one of your rules, detective. Maybe I _am_ having an influence on you people," he turned his gaze to Ramerez. The two approached the table and stood across from the Joker.

"We're not here to play your games," Batman frowned.

"Then why _are_ you here, I wonder," the Joker teased.

"We're here because James was taken last night," Ramirez stepped closer.

"James?" the Joker puckered his lips in a confused expression.

"The Commissioner's kid," the Batman pointed out, ignoring the Joker's mind games.

"He has a kid?"

"Yes, he has a kid! Now where is he?" Ramirez said impatiently, taking a step forward and placing a hand on the table. The Joker smiled, cocking his head to the side in surprise at Ramirez's courage. Did she know who she was talking to? He looked at her hands, which were now placed on the table. She was just within reach, but he didn't dare try anything with the Batman standing there. Not while he was handcuffed, anyway. Ramirez pulled away her hand and took a couple steps back away from his uncomfortable glare. The Joker laughed in response.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the Joker said with a convincing confused expression.

"I think you do," Batman stepped forward.

"I think I don't," the Joker mimicked his serious expression. Batman resisted the urge to punch him right then and there. "I don't know how you keep your face so serious all the time. I mean, really. Do you _ever _smile?"

"Where's the kid?" Batman ignored the question.

"If I really wanted you to know the answer to that, do you think you'd be here right now?"

Neither of them responded.

"No, I didn't think so," the Joker laughed. "You're playing my game with my rules, Batsy."

"Life and death isn't a game!" Ramirez shouted.

"Isn't it?" the Joker smiled.

"Just tell us where the boy is," Batman said, trying to keep calm.

"Uh... no. I've got plans for little James Gordon Jr," he chuckled.

"You won't be doing anything from your prison cell," Ramirez reminded him of the cuffs around his wrists.

"Oh, I won't be here for long," his mouth formed into a grin.

"We'll see about that," Ramirez turned to the door with Batman following her. They could here him laughing behind them as the door shut.

"We won't get anything more out of him," Batman faced Gordon.

"I suppose I should have known that already," Gordon sighed. He had dark circles under his eyes from a sleepless night of worry.

"What are we going to do now?" Ramirez questioned.

"First things first. We need to get the Joker in a cell. Ramirez, take him to the strongest one we've got. I want security around every corner. We can't lose him again. We can't afford it."

"Yes, Sir. Uh... what about him?" Ramirez pointed a finger in the Batman's direction.

Gordon thought for a moment. "We had him secure when he suddenly broke the cuffs and escaped."

Ramirez turned her head to look at the Batman. He was already gone of course.

______________________________________________________________________________

The Joker looked up from his handcuffs at the ten officers walking towards him.

"Is all this for me?" he cracked a smile. "I must have some reputation." One of the officers yanked him up by his arm and started leading him towards the door. Ramirez stood at the door. "So, uh, where are we goin?" the Joker met her eyes. Ramirez looked away from his black eyes in discomfort. "Something wrong, detective?" he smiled.

"No," Ramirez answered in a hard voice. "We're taking you to your cell," she looked straight ahead as she talked.

"Here?" he said in an almost offended tone.

"Just until you can be taken to Arkham. Gordon wants to keep an eye on you." They entered an elevator and an officer pushed one of the small buttons. It felt crowded in the elevator, and Ramirez couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable standing so close to the Joker. He just smiled and laughed at her nervous disposition. It was the longest two minutes of her life, it seemed. They exited the elevator and Ramirez led them to a huge hallway. There were big metal doors on all sides. They stopped in front of a door with a small barred window.

"Taking a lot of precautions, are we? I'm feeling a little hurt. You don't trust me?" he put on a fake pained look.

"No. You're the last person I would trust."

"That's probably smart," he smiled. An officer unlocked the door and shoved him inside. He unlocked his cuffs and quickly stepped back. The Joker laughed at the officer's quick get away as he rubbed his wrists.

"I'd like to see you get out of there," the officer closed the door and stared at him from the tiny window.

"Be careful what you wish for, detective," the Joker laughed as he fell down on the beat up, old bed.


	8. A Deal With The Devil

The officer nervously walked through the silent halls of Gotham's police station. His heartbeat was increasing with every step forward. He took a deep breath, trying to slow it down. It was odd that it was so quiet here. This should have been the most well protected spot in the station, but he'd only past a few guards. He could see another door coming up in the distance. Two officers were sitting at a desk to the right of it. Both of them looked really bored as they shifted to different papers scattered around the desk. They both looked up at him as he approached.

"Hello," he managed to steady his voice.

"Hey," one of the officers greeted him as he looked at the name on his badge.

"Gordon sent me to check up on one of the prisoners," he began.

"Oh, yeah. Sure," he turned to the officer beside him, "Gordon's getting pretty paranoid. Go ahead in, Mr. Miller. He's still right where we left him," the officer gestured towards the door.

David touched the door handle and hesitated for just a moment before opening it. He slowly walked through the doorway as the other two officers watched him. He closed the door behind him and started walking down the hall. There were large metal doors on all sides, most of them empty. This was where the most dangerous criminals would go to wait for the boat to take them to Arkham. There weren't many criminals that needed this much security, so this level of the police station was rarely used. As he walked, he looked up at the security cameras that hung every couple feet. A new knot formed in his stomach as he wondered how long it would take them to find out it was him. Probably not that long.

David walked down the hallway until he could see the door he was looking for. His heart beat picked up speed again as soon as he saw it. He quickened his pace as the door became closer but stopped as soon as he was in front of it. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to jump out of his chest. But who wouldn't be nervous? The Joker was in the room in front of him at that very second. He wasn't handcuffed and for all he knew the Joker already heard him coming and was just waiting for a chance to make his escape. If he was attacked he knew he couldn't take him. If the Batman had difficulty beating him, what chance did he have?

David closed his eyes and shook off the bad thoughts. This was his only chance. It was his family's only chance. He had to try at the very least. He opened his eyes and reached into his pocket. He took out his card and slid it through the scanner on the side of the door. As soon as he heard the door unlock, he swung the door open and looked around the room.

He almost thought he'd picked the wrong cell when the face looked up from the bed in the corner. The make-up was almost completely rubbed off from the couple days he'd spent in this cell. There was only a small trace of white, red, and black. He was also surprised by the fact that he was so young. He looked like he was only in his early twenty's. The Joker smiled immediately when he stepped in.

"Hello there," the Joker smiled. His scars were even more noticeable now without the make-up. It actually made him feel a little sorry for a moment.

"Do you really think you could help me?" David blurted out.

"That depends… what's it worth to you?"

"I'm willing to reconsider your deal," David forced himself to say. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He was making a deal with the devil. Just being in the same room with him made him sick to his stomach. The Joker laughed with satisfaction at his discomfort. He got up off the bed and walked toward David. David took a step back in response, which only pleased the Joker more.

"How can you help me?" David questioned eagerly. He realized he probably didn't want to hear the answer as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"Do you really want to know?" the Joker's smile widened.

"No, never mind," David took in another deep breath as he tried not to imagine all the possible things the Joker had in mind. The Joker laughed again.

"Alright, you have yourself a deal," the Joker held out his hand. David looked from the Joker's hand to the large smile spread across his face. "I'm not making you nervous, am I?" the Joker laughed, his hand still held out. David waited a few more seconds before slowly placing his hand into the Joker's. The contact sent shivers up his spine as the Joker roughly shook his hand up and down, the smile still on his face.


	9. At Least The Joker Isn't Here Yet

James gasped as he was violently shook awake.

"Hey, get up kid!" a voice came from the darkness. James opened his eyes and looked around. He was still in the truck. It was almost pitch black outside. He felt a hand grab his arm in the dark and flinched back.

"If your not gonna come willingly, I'm just gonna carry you in," the voice warned. James felt the hand grab his arm again and pull him out of the truck. "Now we can do this the hard way, or you can walk yourself," the man set him on the ground. He looked around him. He could see what looked like the silhouette of a building to his right. The outline of the man started walking toward the building and another thug grabbed James' shoulders from behind and began leading him in the same direction.

James couldn't see where he was going and struggled not to trip walking towards the building. In the distance he thought he could hear the ocean. They must have been somewhere on the edge of Gotham. They finally reached a pathway and James stopped tripping. Suddenly a bright yellow light flooded out of the front door of the building. Out of nowhere, James felt the same intense fear he had felt under his bed at home.

"Wh-where are we?" James stammered.

"You don't need to worry about the details, kid. Just keep your mouth shut and do what we tell you and you should make it out of this moderately intact… ya know, maybe," the thug chuckled. Another wave of fear came over James. The man pushed him through the door and the other thugs followed behind. James looked around the house. It looked like a big vacation house for when you want to go to the beach. He wondered how the Joker had obtained it. It probably belonged to someone else.

The thug already waiting inside the house grabbed James' arm again and lead him to a staircase. The other men stayed downstairs as they walked up. He could hear them laughing and talking from another room downstairs. It was hard to believe they could even go on with normal conversations. They hardly seemed human.

The man pulling his arm took him to the end of the hall and into a bedroom. There wasn't much in there. Just an old bed and a night stand. The man pushed him further into the room and stood in the doorway.

"Don't bother trying to get out, kid," he closed the door. James could here a faint _click _as the door locked.

James just stared at the closed door. He was alone. He could feel the tears start spilling over. It took everything in him not to just fall on the floor. Slowly, he walked to the bed and dropped down. He ripped the covers over and crawled under. The tears were really streaming now. He gasped for air and noticed he was shaking. It felt like he was going into shock. He was expecting to pass out any moment.

He rolled over and noticed a window. It was boarded up, of course, but he could see through a small sliver. It looked like the sun was just about to come up. The sky had gone from black to dark blue, and there was a small stretch of pink on the horizon. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to control the shaking. He took a deep breath. Someone was bound to be searching for him, right? His dad was with the police, wasn't he? But would they know where to look? His breathing became heavy again.

At least one good thing had happened. The Joker wasn't there. At least not yet.


End file.
